Is Spock an Augment?
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Then Clarke's Law (Modified) probably applies: when an elderly, distinguished expert claims that something is connected to something in the Trek universe, he is most probably wrong...
The Preservers may be the Progenitors. And Spock may be Kirk's father. Both are unlikely in face of current evidence, though. If there ever were two alien races that could be suspected to be completely separate on basis of onscreen evidence, the Preservers and the Progenitors are them!
Timo Saloniemi
The Preservers may be the Progenitors. And Spock may be Kirk's father. Both are unlikely in face of current evidence, though. If there ever were two alien races that could be suspected to be completely separate on basis of onscreen evidence, the Preservers and the Progenitors are them!
Timo Saloniemi
The problem I have with this notion is that Vulcans have a vast array of differences to humans the most notable being their blood chemistry. I think fruit flies have 97% of the same genes as humans, while chimps have 99.98% or something. Every species difference from bumpy head to twin hearts denotes a genetic deviation. Cells with different genes don't usually combine naturally.
Pregnant mothers keep their babies alive by passing oxygenated blood to the foetus. Amanda would be physically unable to do that to Spock.
Obviously, Spock and the other hybrids were allegorical, but while saying that the Progenitors designed it so that species could breed is a simple in-story excuse but it makes as much real-world sense as saying that intra-ship beaming is dangerous because it requires pinpoint accuracy. It's lazy sci-fi.
Pregnant mothers keep their babies alive by passing oxygenated blood to the foetus. Amanda would be physically unable to do that to Spock.
Obviously, Spock and the other hybrids were allegorical, but while saying that the Progenitors designed it so that species could breed is a simple in-story excuse but it makes as much real-world sense as saying that intra-ship beaming is dangerous because it requires pinpoint accuracy. It's lazy sci-fi.
Strictly speaking, no Augment could exist without genetic engineering at all, either...Good point. Artificial hybrids between two species have got to be genetically engineered in some regards. The Federation's prohibition on augments is so irrational, though, they probably had no problem making an exception for "innocuous" hybrids who were engineered only because that was the only way they could exist at all.
I love it when after all this time, somebody come up with a Trek concept that I hadn't run across before.
The answer to the OP depends on how we define "Augment." If we decide that an Augment is "a being whose DNA features human traits and arises from human heredity, but which has been deliberately engineered in order to possess abilities superior to a human being," then the answer is an unqualified yes.
Just about any random Vulcan is far beyond the "1990s" Augment technology that still terrifies Starfleet as late as the 24th century. Khan? Khan was kind of smart, and kind of strong. Vulcans, by contrast, are much smarter, much stronger, live twice as long, utilize oxygen more efficiently, can communicate through tactile-telepathy (and in some circumstances effect-at-a-distance-telepathy) and with some training can actually go as far as to control people's minds. If Spock was genetically engineered in order to be conceived, which is pretty much undeniable, then he can be characterized as a superhuman as easily--indeed, far more easily--than any Khan Noonien Singh or Julian Bashir.
Interestingly, however, he could perhaps also be characterized as a nerfed Vulcan.
Yet this seems to not be the case, insofar as he appears physically and psychologically Vulcan in virtually all respects. His engineers apparently went so far as to incorporate the pon farr instead of our far more relaxed sexuality. This is all kind of weird, considering he's supposed to be "half human"--apparently the half that doesn't have pointed ears, hemocyanin blood, and telepathy, I guess.
Humbug. Ron Moore also thinks humans canAnwar said:
breed with aliens through the power of Jesus and that Mitochondrial Eve is our most recent common ancestor and is under the misapprehension that that means something special.
Snert...what Myasishchev said.
Hmmm...I wonder...perhaps a genetically engineered hybrid is not considered "augmented" unless characteristics are engineered into the subject beyond the maximum capabilities of the "superior" race genetic parent e.g. exceeding human but not Vulcan capacities.
Hmmm...I wonder...perhaps a genetically engineered hybrid is not considered "augmented" unless characteristics are engineered into the subject beyond the maximum capabilities of the "superior" race genetic parent e.g. exceeding human but not Vulcan capacities.
According to an episode of DS9, the average Vulcan has three times the strength of a human, while Khan himself told Kirk he had five times his strength. Considering how Khan crushed Kirk's phaser to pieces with only his hands, I'd say he wasn't exaggerating.
Who knows much about his other physical enhancements, but considering the ability of Khan and his people to survive under extremely hostile conditions, I'd say his overall physical makeup is at least as great as that of a Vulcan. Plus the Augment episode showed that they can generally kick Klingon ass.
I've never considered Vulcans to be truly more intelligent than other races. I think their mental discipline might give them an advantage in utilizing their intellect, but I'm not buying that they're naturally smarter than anybody else. Of course, Khan was able to figure out how to operate the Enterprise in practically no time only through using technical manuals. I don't see how any non-genetically engineered being, human or Vulcan, could do that.
As for Spock, well...it's all pure conjecture on my part. One of my reasons for thinking this is because the guy has demonstrated time and time again that he's practically an ubermensch in his own right. And no one has ever seen the full potential of his strength and power.
At least it would make for an interesting story if his parents decided to make sure he had every possible advantage against his Vulcan peers due to his half-human nature and decided that they'd give him that advantage through the augmentation process. Since it's entirely possible that he was not conceived naturally, but rather in a test tube and then maybe injected back into his mother's body, it is not entirely unrealistic to think that they did go this route.
Who knows much about his other physical enhancements, but considering the ability of Khan and his people to survive under extremely hostile conditions, I'd say his overall physical makeup is at least as great as that of a Vulcan. Plus the Augment episode showed that they can generally kick Klingon ass.
I've never considered Vulcans to be truly more intelligent than other races. I think their mental discipline might give them an advantage in utilizing their intellect, but I'm not buying that they're naturally smarter than anybody else. Of course, Khan was able to figure out how to operate the Enterprise in practically no time only through using technical manuals. I don't see how any non-genetically engineered being, human or Vulcan, could do that.
As for Spock, well...it's all pure conjecture on my part. One of my reasons for thinking this is because the guy has demonstrated time and time again that he's practically an ubermensch in his own right. And no one has ever seen the full potential of his strength and power.
At least it would make for an interesting story if his parents decided to make sure he had every possible advantage against his Vulcan peers due to his half-human nature and decided that they'd give him that advantage through the augmentation process. Since it's entirely possible that he was not conceived naturally, but rather in a test tube and then maybe injected back into his mother's body, it is not entirely unrealistic to think that they did go this route.
He did? Where?
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